The story of Northeast Alternatives is held close to our hearts.

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It drives us to be our best and it’s a big reason why we are so passionate about what we do.

While our team and patients come from all types of backgrounds, this story starts with a series of life events of our Founder and CEO, Chris Harkins. These events ultimately drove him to turn the dream into reality.

When Chris was 19 years old, his mother Annette received a devastating cancer diagnosis. She fought bravely through the most difficult treatments one can endure, but despite an incredibly heroic effort she succumbed to the disease and sadly the world lost a very special person.

Devastated, Chris vowed to never take life for granted. He knew first-hand that cancer treatment options almost always produce extreme side effects with limited relief. Years later when Chris’ father Phil ran into a similar serious cancer diagnosis, Chris became obsessed with finding a better option for his dad. Not only for relief from the pain and discomfort of the difficult treatments, but also as an attack on the disease itself.

Chris dug into hundreds of articles, books, case studies, reports, stories, reviews, videos – just about anything he could get his hands on – to better understand his father’s disease and potential alternative treatments. This is when Chris realized the power of cannabis. He had heard about the potential benefits of medical marijuana and further research seemed to substantiate the claim. Cannabis was changing people’s lives time and time again.

At first, his father was very reluctant. He had never used cannabis before. Eventually, the evidence and his desire for relief led him to try medical marijuana. Gratefully, he experienced almost immediate relief. This was the turning point. With his family fully supportive, Chris dedicated himself to building a business committed to bringing the highest quality cannabis products to the patients of Massachusetts and beyond.

By late 2016, Northeast Alternatives (NEA) was founded. Chris approached his cousin Rich Rosier, who also had experienced the sadness of his Aunt’s loss and his uncle’s fight, to team up with him and build the leadership team. Months later, Kyle Bishop and Zac Cooper decided to join the leadership team. Together, we all share a deep passion and purpose for the bigger cause of NEA.

Now, as we open our doors to our first dispensary in Fall River, MA, we believe our passion and purpose is exactly what makes us unique. We’ve seen it first-hand. As a vertically integrated company, our entire team has decades of cannabis experience. We truly believe in the life-changing benefits of cannabis and we are committed to producing 100% compliant, safe cannabis flower, concentrates, edibles and topicals of the highest quality available anywhere in the world.

NEA’s core values are quality, commitment, innovation, integrity and community. We wake up every day to live and work by these principles and truly hope our patients will feel this in their experiences with our team.

We are fueled by the story of our founder, our appreciation for cannabis, and the power of your stories. We can’t wait to help you achieve a better quality of life.

“Good health and good sense are two of life’s greatest blessings.” – Publilius Syrus (85-43BC)

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